Transforming Love
by acirelemagne
Summary: Leah and Sam were in love, thinking about spending the rest of their lives together, that is until fate stepped in. How did Sam imprinting on Emily drastically change three lives...and loves?
1. Act 1 part 1

**This is the new and improved version of this chapter. I decided to give it another edit and found lots of things that I wanted to change!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse or any of the characters in these books. They are all Stephenie Meyer's! I just have fun playing with their lives.**

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Sam was coming over after school. Mom and Dad had taken Seth to Seattle for a long weekend, leaving me home to study for finals. He had suggested we have a study date, knowing full well there wouldn't be much studying going on. Ever since we had talked about how we felt about each other, things had gotten pretty serious physically. I couldn't help myself, and apparently neither could he. He had another growth spurt and had gotten really tall. Good thing I was tall for a girl or I would have needed a ladder to kiss him. It was amazing how well we fit each other, like we were made for each other. It was overwhelming sometimes how strongly I felt for him, I knew in my head that I was still so young, but I could see myself someday marrying him and having his children.

That brings us back to the current situation. I wanted to wait until I was married before having sex, and Sam had other ideas. He didn't have a problem with us getting married; he just didn't see a need to wait. I know it sounds old fashioned but I was afraid. Afraid if I did have sex with him that he would lose interest in me, afraid of getting pregnant so young, afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for him, that he would reject me. It seems crazy, that there was an answer to all of those concerns but it didn't make them go away. So, I had laid out some ground rules, we could make out but we had to keep our clothes on. It would make it harder for me to get caught up and while I knew he would never force me I could get so carried away I may agree without meaning to. I loved being with him, he was so sweet and gentle with me, considering how much bigger than me he was. Just kissing him was ecstasy, his warm lips on mine; we could kiss for hours it seemed.

I didn't want to change from the outfit I had worn to school, he would think I was making too much of an effort and laugh at me about it. So I was stuck in the jean skirt and wrap sweater I had picked out this morning, thinking to tease Sam at school, not having planned on dealing with being close to him un-chaperoned. Oh well, it will be fine, we had been going a little farther recently, so it might make things interesting. It was a hard line to walk, wanting to be with him while not letting things to get too heavy.

When he got to the house, he picked me up and twirled me around in circles, happy to see me. I yelled at him to put me down, "You are going to hurt yourself; you'll end up throwing out your back or something."

Laughing, he set me down and kissed the top of my head, "You must think I am pretty weak if I can't pick you up."

"Well, I guess you have been working out…" I said with a shrug as he followed me into the living room. I had been studying when he got there so we sat down on the couch together to get to work.

I noticed while we worked that he kept sneaking glances over at me, and realized why. My sweater was pulling away from my chest and he could see right down my shirt. He leaned over, saying he noticed a mistake on my paper, and snuck a kiss. It was a happy, laughing kiss; he knew he had been caught ogling me.

I leaned into it and it changed, deepening. I could smell his cologne, his skin and I inhaled in deeply. He smelled like the forest, earthy and masculine. He pulled me into his lap, his hands toying with the bottom of my sweater, rubbing lightly on the skin underneath.

"Sam Uley, keep your hands to yourself." Wagging my finger in his face, I tried to be stern. But he started tickling me which made it hard to be mad at him. I hopped off of his lap and practically ran to the kitchen. "Do you want anything?" I called over my shoulder.

His response was not unexpected, "Depends on what you are offering." I heard him chuckle to himself. He really thought he was too clever.

Bending over to look in the refrigerator, I told him, "Well, we have coke, iced tea, water, or maybe you should go ahead and take a cold shower. That might make you feel better."

He was behind me when he answered, "Maybe not a cold shower, but if you could join me, it might be just the thing." His hands snaked around my waist, and he pulled me back against him. I jumped, startled by the contact.

I spun around to face him and before I could respond, he had pulled me close and was leaving trails of kisses up my collarbone. My arms went around his waist and I hugged him tightly. As he reached my neck and began to nuzzle my ear, I pushed him away.

"Listen, let's get back to work. I need to get a good grade on my Calculus final so I can end up with a decent grade in the class." I was already heading back into the living room.

"Fine." He grumbled, following me.

I decided to throw in a little something to encourage him, so he wouldn't get too grumpy. "Listen, I am almost done with my review and then we can watch a movie." We always ended up missing half of any movie we tried to watch.

That perked him up a little, which made it easier fro me to finish my work. I did pretty well in math but I needed to have someone to talk it over with, explaining it to someone else made it easier for me to understand. Weird but it worked for me, and Sam was my "student".

We finished up, and he picked out a movie for us to watch. I moved all my school work aside and leaned against him, curling my legs up under me. He had his arm around me, playing with the ends of my hair. After a little while his arm moved to rub up and down my arm, sending chills in all directions.

I couldn't take it any longer, so I sat up, turning towards him and kissed him on his full, warm lips. We kissed slowly, breathing each other in. I expected him to grow impatient but he stayed right where he was. I smiled against his lips, happy that he was here with me.

Moving to my knees on the couch next to him, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. He lay me down on the couch slowly, lowering his body onto mine. I ran my hands up and down his muscular back, feeling the strength under his skin. He groaned and pulled my hands above my head, trapping them there in one of his. Using his free hand he wrapped my leg around his hip, rubbing himself against me now, more urgently. It felt so good, I moaned into his mouth.

He leaned back and opened my sweater, pulling it apart, beaming as he revealed my latest purchase. I had been getting by with plain cotton bras and I decided to splurge on something more romantic. This particular one was white lace with a front closure. He seemed to approve, by the way he was looking at me.

"So, you went shopping?" he asked leering. "Did you get anything for me?"

"This is for you, you silly boy" I replied sarcastically "I guess you don't like it. Too bad, I will have to take back the other ones."

"Other ones? You must really love me," he smiled as he opened the clasp and cupped my breasts in his hands, "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"You know, I don't know either." My breath hitched as he leaned forward and caught my nipple in his mouth, "I, oh…" I trailed off as the sensation overwhelmed me.

"You were saying?" he was enjoying himself a little too much at my expense, but I could hardly argue now.

He pulled my skirt up and began running his hand up the inside of my thigh. My legs were shaking. I knew I should tell him we needed to wait, to take a minute to compose ourselves. I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Leah, I love you so much" Sam was nuzzling my neck, whispering as if he was afraid to say the words out loud, "I want you to know I would never do anything to hurt you."

His words made me melt. I wanted him so badly, and he goes and says something so loving, it brought tears to my eyes.

He looked up as I wiped at my eyes, saying "You are so beautiful." He held my head in his large, warm hands so delicately and kissed away my tears. I was so lucky.

He kissed me again, slowly, with so much care. I clung to him, wanting him to envelope me.

Sitting up, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the ground. My hands were on him immediately, his chest so warm and strong. He seemed to be getting stronger everyday. We were both on the track team, and we both worked out quite a bit, but it was still surprising how much he had changed, seemingly overnight.

I shot him a look, he was breaking the rules, but when he pulled me to him and began lightly running his hands along my sides, I let it go. I mean, he goes without a shirt all the time, so it's not really breaking our agreement, right?

He stood next to the sofa and picked me up in his arms, carrying me to my room. He never lost contact with my lips, darting his tongue in and out of my mouth, caressing my tongue, teasing me with it. I could hardly breathe, I was so overwhelmed.

When he laid me down on my bed and unbuttoned his jeans, I had to stop him. That would be too close to what I knew he wanted. I sat up, "Sam" I pleaded "You know that we talked about this."

He looked at me, eyes smoldering. "Leah, trust me. I love you, don't you understand that?"

I knew if I let us go any farther it wouldn't be easy to stop. I hated being the bad guy, always being the one to bring up our, really my, decision. We always ended up arguing about it, not for long but I was tired of fighting with him about this.

"You promised me you wouldn't pressure me about my boundaries," I reminded him a little sternly "and yet here we are again."

By this time he had refastened his jeans and was running his hands through his lanky hair impatiently. "Leah, come on. You want to do this as much as I do, quit acting like I am somehow tricking you. It's not like we are little kids, this is something we are sharing, and when we get married it won't matter how or when we lost our virginity, as long as we are together."

While I wanted to believe him, I was still afraid. He would be leaving for college after the summer on an athletic scholarship and while he said we would still be together, just long distance, I worried that it would be easy for him to find someone else.

"What about when you leave for school, how can I be sure that you won't find someone prettier or smarter, and decide that…" I couldn't finish my sentence, it was too hard for me to voice that fear to him, I was afraid that just by saying the words it would happen.

He, on the other hand, was not speechless, "Do you really think that will happen? I thought we loved each other. We talked about getting married; having kids someday. I wasn't kidding about that. How can you believe I would do that to you?" He was yelling by the time he finished and I could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. He was shaking now, and I worried that he would just run out.

By this point my fears about our future had gotten the best of me, I couldn't even respond to his questions. I should have never brought it up. I was so worried about me being good enough for him, and now he was furious with me. I knew in my heart that my fears were unfounded, and that I should trust him; it's just so hard to let myself trust anyone. Why couldn't he see that? I tried to find a way to explain to him how I felt, but nothing I said made any sense. I wrapped my sweater around myself, trying to calm down.

"So, you have nothing to say to me? I guess I am just some high school boy you can play with, that this is just some game. Well, I am not a boy, I am a man, Leah, and I thought that we weren't just playing around." He sounded so hurt; I jumped up to put my arms around him, hoping he would let me explain. But as my arms touched his skin, I jumped back. He was burning up, hot to the touch.

"Sam, please give me a chance to explain, you need to sit down for a minute. I think you might be making yourself sick, you are burning up." I tried to guide him to my chair, hoping he would sit and calm down. I was worried about him, he seemed like he may lose control, like he was on an edge or something.

He pushed me away, moving towards the door to my room. "I gotta get out of here, I just don't know if I can be near you right now." His words cut me, leaving me breathless. I fell back on my bed as he stomped out of my room. I know he could hear me crying as he left, but he never came back. I stayed in that spot for hours hoping he would come back or call, and tell me that everything was okay, that he still loved me, that he understood it was just my insecurities talking.

Eventually I got hungry, so I went downstairs and made myself a sandwich. Mom called that night to check on me, and she could tell right away that something was wrong. I just told her that Sam and I had argued but it wasn't a big deal. I really didn't want to have to explain the whole thing yet. She told me that she was sure we would work it out quickly and that when she got home we could talk. I started crying at how understanding she was, but I got off the phone so she wouldn't ask me too many questions.

I went to bed early still in my clothes, I was too drained to do anything, even to change into my pajamas. Sam's mom called late that night, asking if he was still at the house. I told her that he had left earlier and he should have been home by now. She wasn't too worried; she figured he just went to a friend's house or that he had gone running. He would run for hours sometimes when he was upset. I just hoped we could talk at school the next day, and that he would let me apologize.

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_I hope everyone enjoyed this, it's my first attempt at fan fiction and I was a little nervous. Still am in fact! I wanted to write something about Leah, to help explain her attitude a little better. It seems sometimes like her feelings aren't considered important because of the imprint but I don't blame her for her feelings at all! I am writing this with the idea that Sam is 17/18 and a senior in high school and Leah is 16/17 and a junior in high school. I may be wrong and if I am, please let me know, I tried to figure it out from the books but the wolf stuff is kind of vague. I plan on writing this one in 3 acts, probably with 2 chapters each. Let me know if you like it! _


	2. Act 1 part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series...which makes me sad. **

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I woke the next morning, with swollen eyes and dried tears staining my cheeks. After moping in bed for too long, I decided that it was time to get dressed for school. I was dreading it, afraid that Sam would still be angry with me. I didn't want to argue at school; I hated it when we would fight. It's such a small school that everything we said would be common knowledge by lunch. He used to be much more laid back, but lately it seemed like he would get angry much more quickly. I usually attributed this to the fact that we were getting our selves so worked up but I am not so sure anymore.

When he wasn't at my house in time to pick me up for school I figured I better start walking. We always rode together even though it wasn't that far, that way if it rained we didn't end up soaked. I figured he was still angry at me and had decided to not come by. My dread for school today was building exponentially. My only hope was that he had calmed down last night and that maybe we could just talk through it.

At school, there was nothing but talk of Sam. The place was buzzing with the news that he hadn't come home last night. I didn't have time to think before I was surrounded. Everyone wanted to ask me what I knew, but I hadn't seen him since yesterday afternoon when he had left after our fight. I became really afraid then, afraid that I had made him mad enough to do something stupid. His mom hadn't sounded that worried last night, but I'm not sure she understood how upset he really was. I needed to talk to her and find out what was going on. I turned and ran out of the school, leaving theories and speculation in my wake. I ran hard, harder than I ever had before. I felt like I was running to save him, but that seemed ridiculous.

Panicking, I wondered if I should call Emily, my cousin and best friend. I didn't have many close girlfriends, with school and track and Sam, I didn't have much time left over for friends. She lived on the Makah reservation, just north of La Push. We had been close since we were little girls, and it was almost like we were sisters except that we fought less than real siblings. It easier for me to talk to her than anyone else, even Sam. She always seemed to understand how I was feeling.

Last week she had called to see how I was doing, since she knew that Sam and I were butting heads about how far we should go. She wasn't dating anyone, her last boyfriend had been really pushy with her about sex and they had broken up. I knew she was afraid that Sam and I would end up in the same boat. She had known Sam for a long time and she knew how much he meant to me. I wasn't exactly an outgoing girl; he had been my only serious boyfriend so far.

It seemed strange to think about how close Sam and I had become, in such a short time. We started out as workout buddies in track. I tended to stick to myself, but one day we were weight training as a team and he offered to be my buddy. We were pretty mean to each other in the beginning, teasing about how weak the other person was, trying to cover up how much we actually like each other. We started running together on the weekends, since we were "buddies". This went on for a while before running in the morning turned into hanging out most of the day, and then always eating lunch together at school.

Emily was actually the first one to ask me if we were dating or not. I had laughed, but she pressed on, "You guys hang out all the time, how can you not have talked about this yet?"

When he asked me to go to the movies with him the following Friday, I asked him, "Is this a date?" raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms.

He had shrugged and smiled, "Maybe. What do you think it is?"

I knew what I wanted it to be, and it sounded like he wanted the same thing. "Well, I guess I can go to the movies with you, but if it's a date, you are definitely paying."

He laughed his loud, husky laugh. "Will do." He put his arm around my waist drawing me closer to him and asked, "What time should I pick you up for our _date_?"

"Do I get dinner too?" I asked teasingly.

"Sure, what the lady wants, the lady gets. I am at your command." He put his hand up in what I guess was an attempt at the Boy Scout hand signal.

I put my finger to my lips, pretending to really think about my options. "Hmmm. How about you surprise me." There weren't many places to choose from in Port Angeles, so there were only so many options available.

I had been so nervous that night, even though we had been hanging out everyday for weeks. This would be our first real date and I wanted it would be special.

Planning what to wear had been a challenge for me, I wasn't really a clotheshorse and I didn't have much to choose from. I called Emily for advice, and she had offered to come over with some of her clothes so we could put together the perfect outfit.

She was awesome. I ended up wearing a pretty cotton dress of hers, with a sweater over it for the cool night. She had even brought me some of her shoes to choose from. It helped that we were pretty close in size, I was taller than her, but since I was borrowing a dress it didn't matter as much.

"It's shorter on you than me, but it just shows off your hot legs" she teased. "He will be speechless after seeing you in workout sweats and jeans for so long!"

"Does it look too short on me? I don't want him to think that I am…you know, trying to look slutty." I was a little unsure of the outfit at first, but I walked around and practiced sitting in it too make sure I wasn't showing too much. I wasn't used to heels and skirts, "This could be tragic! Maybe I should just wear my tennis shoes."

Emily just laughed and reminded me to cross my legs at the ankle and try not to trip. "You will be fine, and anyways, if you fall he will just have to catch you!"

"Great, but if I sprain my ankle and I can't run, then this season will be wasted."

"Well, he will just have to catch you then!" Emily smiled and clapped her hands together. "You look so cute!"

When he came to the front door that night, Seth let him in without telling me. Sam headed down the hallway to my room and knocked on my door. Thinking it was my mom or Seth telling me he was here, I answered. "What?"

I was sitting on my bed, trying to get the shoes Emily had lent me to buckle, but I was having some trouble. I looked up expecting anyone but Sam.

I jumped up when I saw him, which of course wasn't the best plan. Not having gotten the shoes secured, I started to fall back down. He was across the room in a second, catching me before I could cause myself any serious damage.

He was dressed nicely in a button down shirt and grey trousers, which was a big change from his uniform of basketball shorts and t-shirts. I had trouble looking away from him; he looked like a different person, with his hair pushed back behind his ears.

His silky, black hair was just long enough to reach his jaw. It was so long that during track meets he would wear a headband to keep it out of his eyes. He had taken to borrowing my headbands for meets, "For good luck" he would tell me.

I hadn't put my sweater on yet, and the top to the dress was a little revealing. His eyes raked over me before looking back into my eyes. "Nice dress. Need some help with your shoe?"

I nodded, unable to speak. I would like to say that it was only embarrassment that stained my cheeks and kept me from being able to form a coherent sentence, but that was not the case. He looked really good.

He knelt down on the floor and picked up the offending shoe. Putting it back on my foot, he buckled it. When he stood up he absentmindedly let his hands run up my legs before reaching for my hands. Chills went up my spine, and I laughed nervously.

"Ready?" He asked pulling me up off the bed and into his chest.

"Uh huh" was all I could manage to say, while blushing deeply again. He chuckled and led me out of my room by the hand.

For a first date, it was perfect. We went to a little Italian place in Port Angeles for dinner. It wasn't too fancy, just nice and cozy. I had never been there before, my parents tended to take us to more family oriented places, my dad loved any restaurant that had an all-you-can eat special. The food was really good and all throughout dinner Sam would reach over to tuck my hair behind my ear, or hold my hand. He was like a different person, never once teasing me when dropped my silverware on the floor and then almost fell out of the booth trying to pick it up.

When we were ready to leave for the movie, he came over and held my hand while I stood up from the booth. I was surprised, but he just smiled and held me close as we walked out.

The movie was a comedy, something light so I wouldn't have to cry at sad scenes or blush furiously while watching love scenes. We both liked it, and had a great time. Again, he held my hand, halfway through the movie moving his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, enjoying myself immensely. I was glad it was dark so he couldn't see me blush. I tried not to smile when he put his arm around me but it was impossible.

I couldn't tell if he had seen, but there was a big smile across his face and I didn't think it was the movie putting it there.

After the movie let out, we walked back to his truck slowly, holding hands and talking the whole way. It just felt so natural talking with him, I was a little nervous but I was also very comfortable with him. We talked about where we wanted to go to college and what we wanted to study. He was thinking of getting a degree in criminal justice or law, so that he could help protect people. I told him how I wanted to study biology, maybe someday be a doctor on the reservation.

We were at his truck before we knew it, and he opened my door for me, helping me into my seat. As I got buckled in, he went around to the driver's side. When I looked up, he was smiling at me again and before I could ask what he was smiling about he leaned in and kissed me.

Now, this wasn't my first kiss, but it should have been. At first he slowly worked his lips over mine, but as I responded he became more enthusiastic, opening his mouth and caressing my tongue with his. My arms went around his shoulders and he slid across the seat to be closer to me. His hands held my face so carefully, before he slid them down my arms and lowered them to my waist. I was still buckled in, so my movement was restricted, but he didn't move to unbuckle me.

We stayed like that, kissing, for a few minutes, before he broke off, giving us space to breathe.

"Ready to go?" He started the truck and backed out of the parking spot.

I wanted to say no, I could handle a few more hours of kissing him like that, but instead I just said, "I'm ready if you are."

I didn't realize the possible double meaning of that statement, until he smirked at me. "Really?"

I just nodded, afraid of saying something dumb, so he put the truck into drive and headed for home, with his arm around my shoulders.

That was probably our fanciest date, but he was always thoughtful, taking me to breakfast before school on my birthday, bringing me flowers just for fun. Our families knew each other so that part was easy, we didn't have to worry about them not approving.

He became a fixture at my house, since his mom worked so much, often eating dinner with us several times a week. My mom loved him; he was always offering to help out around the house, like taking out the trash when Seth was too busy playing video games to be bothered. We were together almost all the time, but hadn't gotten sick of each other yet. At least I thought we hadn't. But now I wasn't so sure.

When I got to Sam's house, his mom was there sitting in the living room. One of the elder's, Quil Ateara, was with her. As I walked in, I heard Quil saying to her "He's a teenage boy; he's bound to have some rebellion. Who knows, he's probably just out sowing his wild oats. He could be hanging out with some new friends, maybe he met a girl. With boys his age, there's no telling."

I knew that he was telling her this to calm her down, to remind her that Sam was almost a man and he could take care of himself. But it didn't take the sting out of his words. The thought that he could have gone to some random party and hooked up with some random girl flashed through my head. I mean, I know I didn't go as far as he wanted but the idea that he would look somewhere else, find someone else to replace me so quickly, broke my heart. The sob that escaped me as tears started rolling down my cheeks brought their conversation to a screeching halt.

Quil stood up quickly, looking chagrined and Sam's mom reached her arms out. "Come here honey," she wrapped her arms around me, "don't you worry. He is usually a pretty responsible young man, he will call soon." She sounded so sure, but I had a feeling that could be for my benefit.

"Now, did he say where he was going when he left your house?" Quil had come to stand next to me and put his hand on my shoulder as he asked. "Was everything okay when he left?"

I could barely look at either of them knowing the reason for our argument, not wanting to share it. This was hard enough on me, the guilt, knowing that if I just hadn't been so afraid to…I couldn't talk about that with them, definitely not with Mr. Ateara.

His mom could sense my apprehension; she started moving old Quil towards the door. "Thanks for coming over Quil, why don't you leave Leah and I here to talk. We'll let you know if we hear from him."

I sat down in one of the living room chairs, and let my head fall forward into my hands. I was trying to control the emotions that threatened to rage inside of me, before I would have to explain to his mom what had actually happened last night. I felt so guilty, but I couldn't tell her that I felt guilty for not having sex with her son. She was a very open minded mother, but that would be crossing the line.

"So, Leah, I think you need to fill me in with what went on last night. Did you guys get into a fight?" Sam's mom asked me, sitting down in the chair next to me.

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out to tell her without humiliating myself. "Well, we had an argument about…you know, our relationship. I mean, our physical relationship." God, this was awful.

His mom was an easy to talk to person and we had always gotten along really well. We would sometimes gang up on Sam, which drove him crazy. But he had always said we were his two girls, so he had to forgive us.

She was looking at me very closely, "Leah, have you two…I mean I assumed that as serious as you are, that you had already…" she trailed of uncomfortably.

Great. Even his mom thinks I am a prude. "Linda, I told Sam I wanted to wait until I was married and I am trying to stick with that. He doesn't think it is a big deal to not wait." I didn't want to say the truth, that we had fought because I was afraid he would find someone better the minute I slept with him, that I didn't think I was good enough to hold her son's interest very long. And that I couldn't let myself be that vulnerable with anyone, not even Sam.

She nodded, and inhaled deeply. "Honey, I think that you waiting before having sex is a wonderful idea. It is a big step to take. I am a little surprised at my son though. He should not be pressuring you to do something you aren't comfortable with." Her face was stern. "And then for him to not call or come home, it's disrespectful to both of us."

I jumped to his defense "He wasn't pressuring me, I wanted to…" why did I have to say anything? "What I mean to say is, that we both want to…um, take that step, I am just afraid." Afraid of so many things.

"It doesn't matter if it seemed like you wanted to do that or not, you obviously have discussed your decision with him before and he should respect that." I could tell that she was pretty disappointed in him. "And for him to run off after that, he had to know you would be very upset. It's ridiculous."

"Do you think something might have happened to him" I practically whispered, not really wanting to even say the words out loud but I had been thinking them ever since I had heard.

"He is a strong, smart young man. I will give him until tonight to contact us, if we don't hear from then we will call the authorities. He could just be so embarrassed about his behavior that he is afraid of what we will say to him." She hugged me again.

I didn't know how she could be so sure. I was awash in fear for him, for us. "I guess I will head back to school…" I definitely didn't want to go there.

Linda shook her head, "No, sweetie. You are going to call your parents and tell them that you are spending the day with me. Tell them what is going on and that we are going to sit tight here at the house waiting for him to come home."

I wasn't sure if my parents would come home right away. They looked at Sam as their son-in-law practically. I knew they would be as worried as I was.

"OK, I'll call them now. And I think I will lie down for a while after that. I didn't get much sleep last night." Dialing my parents' cell number was the easiest part of the call. They freaked out, and said they were going to come home this afternoon. Linda ended up talking to them, she convinced them to wait until tomorrow morning at least. If he came home tonight, she figured he would be pretty embarrassed and may not want an audience for his explanation. By the time she was done talking to them, they had agreed to wait. But I am sure they would probably come home tomorrow morning whether or not he had come home. Mom could tell from my voice that I was really upset.

After we said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone, I realized how exhausted I was. I didn't want to lie down in the living room, in case more people stopped by. That really only left one place to go. Grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen, I headed to Sam's room.

His bed was a mess, as was the rest of his room. Not filthy, just cluttered. His track trophies and ribbons were piled on a small shelf in one corner of the room, above an equally messy desk. A rumpled king sized bed took up the other half of his room. His mom had just recently bought that for him, he had actually broken the twin bed he was using before. I remembered the sneaky look in his eye as he chased me around the house one day, ending up in his room on his new bed. He was pretty proud that his height had warranted a king size bed.

Just looking around his room was hard; I was so worried that if he did come home that he would be angry that I was here. That I would be unwelcome, unwanted. Tears started welling up in my eyes as I tried to imagine not being here someday, not being part of his life. I sat on the edge of his bed, crying quietly with the hope that Linda wouldn't hear me. She had to be more worried than she was letting on; I couldn't imagine him doing anything as irresponsible as this. Between my fear for his safety and my fear that I had unwittingly ruined everything between us, I could hardly breathe.

His mom came in a few minutes later, "Here honey, take this medicine. It will help you relax and sleep." Apparently I hadn't been as quiet as I thought. "I already talked with your mom and she said that it should be okay."

I took the pill she offered and drank it down with my bottle of water. "Thank you, Linda. I am so sorry…"

"Don't apologize. I know how much you care about him. Now, you get some rest, I can tell you have a lot on your mind. But don't worry about Sam. He's a good boy, and he would never mean to hurt either of us." She was straightening his bed as she talked. "I know he will have a good explanation for us when he comes home." She walked to the door of his room, but turned back to me before leaving. "I hope he understands how lucky he is to have you, Leah."

As I lay down on the bed, I inhaled deeply trying to control my tears. His scent clung to the sheets and while it made the pain worse, it also helped calm me a little. It seemed like if I could hold on to this little bit of him, that everything would be fine. If I could just hang on, that he would come home safely and we could work through this. I pulled his blankets over me to simulate his warmth, and fell asleep.

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_I hope you enjoyed it, let me know if you notice any glaring inaccuracies or anything that you really like! I like to hear what people think!_


	3. Act 2 part 1

**Act 2 is Sam's pov. My idea with this story is to get a better idea of what the three of them went through with their imprinting/love triangle. Just so we can get each person's side of the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series!**

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After I left Leah's house, I walked past my truck and down to the street. I was so worked up; I knew I couldn't go home. My mom and Leah got along really well and if Mom found out that we had fought, especially about this, I would never hear the end of it. Once I hit the street I started running. Whenever things got crazy I would just go running, sometimes for hours. I felt in control when I was running, no one could tell me what to do or how to change. It was one thing I was really good at, so good that I had gotten an athletic scholarship for next fall. College was expensive, even at a state school, so I know that my mom was happy that I had managed to snag a scholarship. It was rough for her, raising me as a single mother. My dad was pretty much worthless to us, so Mom and I had stuck together and made it work.

I started running, picking up my pace quickly. I was feeling so on edge lately. I'm sure my mom thought it had something to do with my growth spurt. She said I must have too much testosterone flowing through my veins. I wasn't so sure. I had started getting really hot lately too, but I hadn't told her yet. I wasn't going to go to the doctor just because I felt hot.

My mind kept going over what Leah had said today, that she thought I would cheat on her with some random girl when I went away in the fall. That I would take the first chance to break every promise I had made her. The idea was ridiculous, I had practically asked her to marry me, and she thinks I could do that to her? My dad had cheated on my mom a lot when they were married, and I saw firsthand how she had suffered. It had broken her heart. How could she think I was like him? How could she think that I would hurt her the same way my dad had hurt my mom?

My dad was like some dog, running around, hooking up with any chance woman he met. Leah knew how much I despised him, for her to say that I was capable of doing that, I couldn't believe it. I know I had been all over her lately but it wasn't like she didn't return the attention. It wasn't like she didn't participate. I'm not some stalker or rapist or …dog.

I could hear my heart start racing again. The anger was welling up inside of me again. What more could I do to show her that I loved her, that I wasn't that guy? How many 17 year old guys put up with a tease of a girlfriend that would get all worked up and half dressed before pulling the plug at the last minute? She had been doing this for months now, and while I tried to respect her decision, I could tell she didn't really want to wait. She was just afraid.

Now I knew what she was afraid of. That I was some prick that would screw around on her.

I slowed down, bending at the waist, trying to get a handle on my breathing. I felt like my lungs were going to burst. I began panting, unable to catch my breath. My hands, which had been hanging at my sides, flexing, were clutching at my chest, pulling, as if that would help.

I bellowed in rage, and leaned my forehead against a nearby large tree. My hands were balled into fists now, and I started punching the bark next to my head. The bark flew past my face and I was surprised by how low my voice sounded. It almost sounded like a growl or something. When I raise my head, there were large indentations in the tree where I had landed my blows. "What the hell?" My shock at the damage I had caused was fleeting, quickly overwhelmed by the anger that was flooding through me.

I had taken a trail through the woods to get to my house and it was good thing. If any of my neighbors had heard me, they would have thought I was some animal.

Pacing back and forth among the trees, I tried to fight back my anger, tried to control it. But it was no use, I felt as if my head would blow off from the pressure inside of me. It just kept building and building, and just when I thought it would stop, I felt myself explode.

I couldn't tell what the hell was going on; my body was expanding, my clothes were obliterated, as I felt my bones rearrange themselves. I fell to the ground on all fours, but when I tried to stand back up, I found I couldn't. I moved to cover myself, not wanting to be found naked in the forest. But as I moved my arms, I realized that they were fur covered and massive. My whole body was covered in midnight black fur, and my head was now several feet higher that it had been. Speaking was impossible; all I could manage was snarls and howls.

I had never been more terrified in my life.

Convinced that I was somehow dreaming; that this couldn't really be happening, I started to scream. All that came out was a long, mournful howl.

Sprinting deep into the forest, I ran to get away from people, to get away from civilization. I wasn't sure what would happen if I was found but I knew that I didn't want to find out.

I ran for hours, not caring what direction I went in or how far I went. I wanted to run from what I had become, but I couldn't out run it.

By the next morning, I had tired of running and found myself returning to my house. I wanted to see how my mom was, hoping that she wasn't too worried. When my dad had left she had really fallen apart, but she had me there to take care of her. I had left her alone to deal with this mess.

Maybe I was more like him than I wanted to admit. Leah was right.

I waited in the woods all day watching the house, keeping out of sight under the dark canopy of the forest. I had seen Leah run to the door, panicked and exhausted. I couldn't believe I had done this to her, and it was sure to only get worse when and if I tried to explain this to her.

Quil Ateara, one of the elders, was in with my mom, talking to her, probably trying to calm her down. Leah had gone in the front door after knocking quickly. I could see her standing in the doorway, watching my mom and Quil talking. A look of such immense pain crossed her face that I felt as if I had been wounded. Something they said must have done this. A few minutes later Quil walked out the door, and down to his car.

I couldn't see Mom and Leah, but I thought that they might still be in the living room. I wished I could hear what they were saying. Leah stood up and made a phone call, before heading down the hallway to my room. She looked so dejected, her exhaustion painted across her face. I guessed that she was going to get some rest, and stepped back farther under the tree cover.

Later that night, I crept to my window. She was still sleeping, looking so small in the middle of my bed. Memories of all the times we had lain together, talking, messing around on that bed, filled my mind. It was so hard to see her lie there alone, knowing my absence was what was causing her to cry softly even in her sleep. Backing away, I turned and ran.

Days turned into nights and quickly weeks had passed. There was a search going on for me, but what they were looking for wasn't there. I was like some monstrous shadow of myself, dark and menacing.

Remembering the legend of Taha Api, I wondered if was possible that I had become a ghost warrior. Or a wolf. That seemed the best explanation for it, which frightened me. If those legends were true, than the world was a much scarier place than I had always thought.

As I ran, passing under the trees, through the shadows, I noticed a sense of emptiness in my mind. As if I had heard something, but forgotten it already. As if the sound had faded before I could catch it. I knew that this wasn't an external sound, those I could hear exceptionally well. All of my senses were heightened, as I was some kind of apex predator.

I felt myself slipping away from who I was, forgetting the man I had been and just going with my instincts. I hunted animals in the forest, tracking them by their scent. There were some scents I couldn't connect with any animal I had ever known. It was a sickly sweet smell, and even as faint as it was, I became ill.

Afraid I would forget completely what my life had been, I was checking on Leah and Mom when I thought it would be safe, when I was sure to be unseen. Leah's beautiful face became gaunt, almost as if she knew I was haunting her. Mom seemed like she was holding up to the outside world but I heard her cry at night more times than I wanted to admit.

Leah's parents were helping out with the search; organizing funds, media, search parties. I was glad that they were there for Leah, she seemed lost without me. I heard her crying on the phone to Emily one night, and I knew she had come down several times. I stayed away when I knew she would be there. I couldn't risk anyone seeing me, and Leah was so out of it that I honestly didn't think she would notice me.

Late one night, I had been swimming at First Beach under a moonless sky, when I realized that the tension had begun to release within me. The current was pulling on me, yet I was at ease with the world as I was now experiencing it, allowing myself to be carried. And then I felt myself begin to shift, the horrible process of my bones realigning, of fur falling off, and limbs becoming shorter. I swam to shore and within moments I was sitting on the beach naked, my wolf form disappeared.

I ran back to my house, elated despite the fact that I would be bruised and torn by rocks, thorns and brambles by the time I got home.

Planning on how to get into the house as I ran, I moved quickly. Before I thought possible, I realized I had arrived. I had to be careful, as Leah had taken to sleeping at my house, waiting for me to come home. I didn't want to wake her before I was ready to explain everything.

Unsure of how exactly to explain it, my mind was running through what had happened to me for the last few weeks. I would just have to wait until morning to talk to them.

I crept to my window and looked in. She was there, lying on my bed, so close I could touch her. And I couldn't wait to be near her again.

I opened my window quietly, watching her to make sure she didn't wake. She was crying softly in her sleep, but didn't move at all as I climbed through and shut the window behind me. I crept to my dresser and opening the top drawer, I pulled out a pair of boxers. Stepping into them, I quickly crawled into bed behind Leah. I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her, surrounding her body. As I held her close, her sobs subsided. She relaxed against me and I breathed in her familiar smell. Sleep began to pull me under as the stress of the last weeks dwindled. Hopefully tomorrow wasn't as much of a nightmare as the last few weeks had been.

I felt Leah starting to stir as the light came in streaming through my window. When she realized my arms were around her waist, she turned to me with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh my god, you're here, you came home!" She reached her hands up to hold my face close to hers. "I am so sorry; I didn't mean to start a fight. I know I have been kind of neurotic lately and …"

I stopped her as she started to apologize. "You're sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?" I couldn't believe she was blaming herself for this.

"Well, I thought that when I stopped us that day that you had decided I wasn't worth the trouble and then when you didn't come home I just didn't know what else to think." She paused to take a deep breath. "Sam, where have you been?"

She was pleading with me for an answer, but I had nothing to give. I couldn't really tell her what I was doing for all this time. But I had to figure out something. I would feel even more disgusted with myself if she believed it was her fault I had left.

"I was angry when I left, Leah. I had acted like some kind of predator. But when you told me you thought I could do that, that I could cheat on you…I don't know. It was just really hard for me to calm down." I didn't want her to blame herself but it was the truth. "I figured it would be better if I just went away for a while and relaxed. My uncle's house was the first place I thought of." He lives in a pretty remote part of the country, so relaxing would have been about the only thing I could have done there.

I could tell that she had more questions, but to stop what would turn into the Spanish Inquisition if I let it, I leaned down and kissed her. She hesitated at first, but soon responded with enthusiasm. Her fingers traced slowly up my jaw, pushing into my hair. It was such a small act but I hadn't been touched by another person in two weeks and this was enough to push me over the edge.

She was wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of my boxers to sleep in, and I quickly had these off of her. My speed startled her, but she recovered fast enough to help me get her panties off. I had her naked beneath me, arms reaching for me. I ran my hands slowly up her strong legs, pulling them up at the knee. Grinding myself against her heat, I hovered over her upper body, leaving random kisses and love bites. I paid special attention to her breasts, tracing the undersides with my tongue, sucking her taut nipples into my mouth and laving them with my tongue.

"It's so hot…" She moaned.

I took this to mean that she appreciated what I was doing.

Rubbing myself slowly and rhythmically into her folds, I could tell she was close to release. Pulling away, I started to kiss my way from her breasts to her soft stomach and lower still. I found her sensitive nub and suckled it. Her hips bucked up instantly, and she moaned loudly. I held her hips down, reaching up to tug on her nipples while I continued tasting her responsive flesh. My face was buried in her; so I could feel when her tension started to rise sharply. I flicked my tongue quickly, I was eager to be inside of her. As she orgasmed, her thighs clamped around my ears and it seemed as if she was trying to ride my tongue.

When she has stopped shaking I moved myself up to kiss her, and she pulled me onto her body, arms wrapped around me, ankles crossed behind my back. I hesitated before entering her, looking into her eyes to see if she had any doubts.

"Sam, please." She cried. That was all I needed to hear. I went slow, knowing she would feel a little pain, but it passed quickly and then I began to move. It was amazing; she was so wet, so tight. I tried to hold myself to a slow pace so that I wouldn't hurt her. But it was almost impossible, especially when she began to rock with me, meeting each thrust. She was panting again, little moans escaping her lips.

Her nails were digging into my back, yet the pain seemed far away. I felt my own release building, and pushed into her harder, faster, her body grasping at me as I moved. I wanted it to go on forever, but as the tension came to a peak, I cried out, spilling into her. Before I could move, I heard something behind us.

"Samuel David Uley! You had better have…" My mom trailed off as the realization of what she had just walked in on hit her. I looked over my shoulder to see the shock on her face turn to anger.

"Young man, I will be waiting in the living room for you and Leah. I believe you owe the both of us an explanation." She looked at Leah sternly too, and I felt Leah shrink underneath me.

I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and turned to my mom. "I'll be in there in a minute."

After she had closed the door, I turned to look at Leah. She was blushing, both from our exertion and, I guessed, from being discovered. I brushed my lips against hers softly.

"I love you." She breathed, tears in her eyes.

"I love you too." I responded, feeling guilty that I couldn't share with her the truth.

"We better get in there before she comes back and drags us out of here." The image of my mom pulling the two of us into the living room in our current state made me chuckle.

I grabbed our clothes and helped her get dressed. We took turns in the bathroom before heading down the hall to where my mom waited for us. Leah was still a little shaky so I grabbed her hand in mine to steady her, and we went together to the living room.

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_Reviews are nice, especially to see what people think of my version of this love story. I hope everyone enjoys it!_

_Thanks to Anuddaone for reading through and helping me get a handle on this chapter! You should check out her stories, Shadow of the Midnight Sun and Dreaming of the Breaking Dawn! They are really good!  
_


	4. Act 2 part 2

**This chapter is from Sam's pov. This is also the last part of Sam's Act, the next one will be from Emily's pov.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer's owns the Twilight Series, not me. I am just playing with her characters.**

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The talk with my mom was as painful as I had thought it would be. I gave her the same excuse I had given Leah; that I had gone to stay with my uncle. She pressed, questioning the fact that neither my uncle or I had called for the two weeks I was gone, but I didn't know what to tell her. I just stayed quiet and let her rail at me about how irresponsible and disrespectful it was for me to do that.

It appeared she also knew the reason for mine and Leah's argument before I left. I hadn't thought Leah would have told her about that. I glanced sideways at Leah, she had been quiet throughout my mom's lecture, and was staring at the floor. When my mom was tired of hollering at me, she turned to Leah.

"So, are you going to forgive him, just like that? You are going to accept that explanation?" I could tell my mom was not feeling as generous as Leah.

"I am just glad he is home, Linda. We can figure out whatever the rest is later." She was quiet as she spoke, so quiet that my mom had trouble hearing her.

"Well, we can talk about this later. We are meeting Mr. Ateara for a late breakfast. I called him this morning, to let him know you were home." She looked pointedly at both Leah and me, before standing up and moving down the hallway to her room. "Oh, and don't let me ever catch the two of you at that again. That is not something any mother wants to see."

We laughed to ourselves about our bad luck this morning and went to get ready to leave.

Breakfast was as awkward as our talk had been. When we had gotten to the restaurant Mr. Ateara was waiting for us. Before we sat down he reached for my hand, shaking it firmly. He was a little surprised by my temperature, I am sure my hand had seemed very hot to him. But he never mentioned it, he just seemed to be looking at me differently now, as if he knew something I didn't.

I was starving, and ended up eating my food, and finishing Leah's and my mom's plates. This was of interest to Mr. Ateara as well, he kept commenting on how much food teenage boys eat and how expensive that could be. It seemed like almost everything I did was of special interest to him. It was unsettling.

After we had finished eating my mom brought up the fact that I had gone to stay at my uncle's house these last few weeks. You could tell she didn't believe me by the tone in her voice, but Mr. Ateara just quietly said that if that's what I had told her that it must be the truth. He went on to say that he thought I was a well brought up young man and that sometimes when you have something to deal with, that you may feel that the only way to handle it is to be alone but you are never truly alone. You always have your family, your friends, the tribe. He looked directly at me as he said this and I felt like I was missing the meaning behind his words.

Leah and I got up to leave, and Old Quil stood up as well. He reached over to shake my hand again, and he said quietly, "Sam, the other Elders and I need to meet with you. There is something we need to talk to you about." I could tell this was meant for my ears only.

I nodded and grabbed Leah's hand. "Mom, I am going to take Leah home. I'll meet you back at the house later on."

We took my truck to her house, and as I was parking, Leah's mom appeared at the door. When we walked up to the door her mom reached out to hug me.

"I am glad you are home, Sam. And I know Leah is too." She patted me on the back, before looking at Leah, who had her arms tightly around my waist. Leah shrugged and looked away. I knew that her mom wanted to know my explanation. I wondered what her shrug meant though.

I pulled Leah around to face me and wrapped my arms around her. "I am going to head home for a little while, but I can come back over tonight if you would like me too."

"Of course I want you to, and you can stay for dinner." She smiled. "Emily is coming over to stay the night, so we can just hang out here at the house. We could watch a movie if you want, or whatever."

"Ok. Well, I will see you tonight then." Before I left, I pressed my lips against hers, tightly. She parted her lips and began teasing mine with her tongue. Her hands moved up into my hair and mine had slid down to crush her hips against mine. It was a few minutes before we realized that we had an audience, again.

Someone was clearing their throat, and when we looked I met the eyes of the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I started to take a step towards her, but realized that my arms were still wrapped around Leah. It felt as if my body were being pulled toward her, as if she was the center of my universe and I the only object orbiting her. Her eyes stayed with me, widening as the moments passed but whether that was in fear or attraction I couldn't tell.

Leah watched us, uncertain before she crossed the room to hug this girl. As Leah's arms made contact with her skin, she blinked and looked a little dazed. She embraced Leah, happy to see her. When she smiled, my insides ached. I wanted to be the one embracing her, whispering in her ear, making her smile like that.

I realized that Leah could sense something, so I turned from her and focused on Leah. It was so painful to not watch her reactions as they talked, that I decided I had better leave before Leah began to question how I was behaving around her.

Leah was leading her over to me, "Sam, you know Emily. She has been up to stay with us before." I could tell she was puzzled by my reaction.

I quickly nodded in her direction, "Hi. Leah, I am going to head home. Old Quil said that he might come by this afternoon. So I'll see you later." I was already heading to the door, trying to escape her pull.

"Ok, well, give me a call later? You're still coming over tonight, right?" I heard the end of her question from outside of the house. I moved towards my truck, stopping when I saw her dad, Harry, leaning against it.

"Sam, I am going to ride with you home. I guess you heard from Mr. Ateara that we had planned on coming by?" Leah's dad was one of the tribal leaders, one of the elders.

"Yes, sir. But I have already told my mom why I was gone. I'm not sure what else you would need to talk to me about." I was worried that they may have some sort of public apology for me to make, for making my mom and Leah suffer.

"Well, let's just talk when we get there. I think you will be surprised by what we have to tell you." He got in the truck and buckled himself in.

The short ride to my house passed in silence and when we arrived, I could see that the others were already there.

Mom had shown them into the living room, so Mr. Clearwater and I went in and sat down. Old Quil began by asking if I remembered the legend of Taha Aki and the cold ones.

"I do. That is the story where the man became a wolf, right?" I wasn't sure if they knew what had happened to me, but I was beginning to see that they might.

"Yes, and we believe that this ability has been passed down throughout the generations. This only happens when there is a population of cold ones, or vampires, nearby. We have one such group in Forks, so we wanted to know more about your time away. We need to know what really happened." Mr. Ateara's ancient face was kind but still searching.

"The day that I left, Leah and I had gotten into an argument. I was so angry and couldn't calm down. The pressure kept building until I felt like I was exploding, and then I was some sort of animal, or monster." I stopped and looked around at them, expecting someone to think I was crazy. But they just waited patiently for me to continue.

"I just ran. I didn't know what else to do." My breathing was uneven and my hands had become fists; the experience was still too fresh in my mind.

Billy Black spoke up, "Son, we know what you went through has to be terrifying, considering you had no idea what was happening. But we want you to know that we are here, we can help you understand what your life will be like now."

They explained that I would stop aging as long as I continued to phase and that I was now a protector of the tribe. The treaty with the Cullen family, with it's limitations on my patrol area was described as was the process of imprinting. As they illustrated imprinting to me, I reeled. Emily. That was the feeling, the pull I had felt towards her.

Harry noticed my face first, and quickly asked me if I had imprinted. He assumed it was Leah, I'm sure he was hoping to protect his daughter from the heartache that would befall her by me imprinting on someone else.

I shook my head, "I didn't imprint on Leah. I love her but I didn't feel that when I saw her. I felt what I had always felt."

"Sam, tell us. Have you seen someone, have you imprinted?" Harry was almost yelling. I could hear his concern and anger. While I never wanted to hurt Leah like this, it was going to happen.

Looking at the floor, I mumbled her name. "Emily. I imprinted on Emily."

He was up, pacing before I had finished. "Damn it! What am I supposed to tell her? She smiled today for the first time in 2 weeks; I thought I would lose her before he came back!"

Quil spoke up, "We will have to explain to her what has happened. It is usually forbidden to tell those outside the council and the pack, but I believe that in this case it is necessary."

I raised my head, looking at Mr. Ateara. "Pack?"

"Sam, it is customary for there to be a pack of wolves on the reservation, the size of which is related to the number of vampires in the area. As we have a large group nearby, I expect for several young men to join you." Billy's voice was deep and calm, "You were the first and we are sorry you had to experience this by yourself with no one to guide you through the change."

I am sure they could tell I was overwhelmed by all of this. Mr. Ateara stood, motioning to the rest of them men to follow him.

On his way to the door, Billy stopped and clasped my shoulder. "Sam, what you have been through, I'm sorry you had to be there alone."

They filed out the front door after speaking with my mom, warning her I would need some time to think. She left shortly after they did, saying she had some errands to run.

I stayed there on the sofa for a long time, thinking about everything they had told me. But my thoughts always came back to Emily. Her silky, black hair, her deep brown eyes, her full lips, they haunted me.

Eventually I lay down on the sofa, and dozed off. It was hours later before I woke, to Leah whispering.

"Sam, wake up." She was standing over me, looking worried.

"I'm up. What time is it?" I sat up and stretched my arms out.

"It's after 7:00. When you didn't come over for dinner, I decided to check on you. I didn't realize how tired you were, I guess." She sat down next to me on the sofa and leaned into me.

I suddenly realized that she could have brought Emily, and looked around in a panic.

Misunderstanding my apprehension, Leah shook her head. "The elders are gone; they decided to have a bonfire tonight so your mom went to help them. We can head up there if you want. Or we could stay here…" She trailed off suggestively, smiling.

I knew that Emily was sure to be at the bonfire, so my only choice for the moment was to stay here with Leah. And I knew what she wanted to do.

"We can stay here, I guess." I wasn't sure how this was going to work. Thinking about being with Leah, as much as I loved her, was hurting me. Because it would make it even harder for me to convince Emily of my devotion to her.

"Why don't you just relax and let me take care of you." Her voice was husky as she pushed me down on the couch. She crawled up my body, her hands massaging my stomach and chest. I closed my eyes, letting my head loll to the side.

As soon as my eyes had closed, all I could see was Emily. Her eyes wide in recognition of the spark, the connection between us. I could feel her lips on mine, opening to allow me access to her warm mouth, her tongue nervously sliding along my own. The little mews of pleasure she was making me proud, that I could coax them from her. I would make her happy, it was all I wanted to ever do.

Imagining it was Emily I was entwined with, I moved my lips against hers, while sliding her shirt up her body. We broke away long enough to pull it over her head. I rolled her under me, groaning as I pressed into her. She reached between us to shimmy out of her shorts and panties. I trailed kisses along her jaw line and down her throat as she worked them down her legs, murmuring her name as I went.

She pulled away abruptly, causing me to open my eyes and emerge from my daydream. I silently cursed myself.

"What did you say?" I could hear the tears in her voice.

I couldn't bring myself to look at her, knowing the pain I would see in her dark eyes.

"Did you just call me Emily?"

When I didn't immediately deny her charge, she pushed me off of her and began getting dressed. She was trying to keep from crying in front of me, but wasn't succeeding.

I turned away; I knew that if I tried to comfort her it would just make this whole situation more complicated. Let her get angry with me, it might help her deal with what would soon happen.

I never wanted to hurt her, but this wasn't my fault.

"If you think Emily will ever even talk to you after this, you are crazy." She was screaming at me, now backing towards the door. "I don't know why you ever came back." The front door slammed as she ran out.

The only thing I heard her say was that Emily would not want me in her life, and I knew that I had to figure out a way to make it happen.

She was my destiny.

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_So, I know this story is kind of (gross understatement there) a downer, but I am hoping I am doing their story justice. It was funny, as I was writing this it chapter it occurred to me another reason Leah would have hated Bella besides the whole "werewolves vs. vampires" thing. Bella got the love of her life back, Leah lost hers twice, once to his changing and then when she thought she had him back, he imprinted on Emily. I would be a real "B" if I were her! _

_Much thanks to Anuddaone, my beta reader, she is awesome! I would probably never post anything if she didn't give it her ok, I would still be editing the first chapter!  
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	5. Act 3 part 1

**This is the first chapter from Emily's pov, the beginning of the last part of my story. My idea all along has been to explore what happened between Sam, Leah and Emily when the imprint took place. I hope you enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon or Eclipse. **

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When my Aunt Sue had called me to tell me Sam had come home, I was surprised it wasn't Leah calling. Aunt Sue explained that Leah was at Sam's house but that she thought Leah would really appreciate having me there to talk to. She had been so hysterical while he was gone; I had been down a couple of times to visit with her hoping to take her mind off of the situation. And we talked on the phone a lot.

We had talked about their argument, how he had wanted to take things faster than she had. She blamed herself for his leaving, thinking if she had just gone along with him he wouldn't have taken off. She told me about his dad and how he had cheated on his mom a lot, leaving her heartbroken. It made more sense how angry he had gotten, when she had told him she thought he could do the same thing to her.

One night she told me, as she cried on my shoulder, "I love him so much, I just don't know why I had to make such a big deal out of it. We were going to get married; even his mom thought we were having sex already."

"You have to know that any guy who would leave you because you wouldn't have sex with him isn't worth it, right?" I looked at her searchingly. "I don't think you are the reason he is staying away, honestly. He may have been angry but you guys have argued before, and he always came back to you."

I knew that they had argued about this before, and it always worked out. Sam did love her, and once he worked out his anger or hormones or whatever, he would apologize to her and they would be fine. Something else had to be going on, but not knowing what was happening was worse for her than just blaming herself. All I could do was be there for her, all the time thinking Sam was an idiot. He had so much to lose, what could have kept him away?

Now that he was home, the fact that he wasn't telling anyone details of where he had been was puzzling but knowing how thrilled Leah must be, I tried not to worry about it. When I walked into the living room and interrupted them kissing and holding on to each other so desperately, I was so happy for her.

And a little jealous. My last relationship, if you could call it that, had ended quickly over my not being willing to perform certain acts on my boyfriend. What a jerk. You never could tell how a guy was going to handle sex. They could seem so sensitive, so loving and then before you know it, they are pushing your head towards their lap in the hopes that you will take the hint. My faith in teenage guys at the moment was at an all time low.

When I cleared my throat and they both looked toward me, I froze. Sam's eyes met my own and I felt my breath catch. He was staring at me with need and love obvious in his eyes, so bare it was embarrassing to keep looking, but impossible to look away. I assumed it was his feelings for Leah still apparent on his face; that he was caught up in the moment with her.

When he broke his gaze away from mine and looked down at Leah I could see his expression change and I wasn't sure why. She was looking at the two of us and I realized we must have been staring for a little too long.

I was startled when Leah's arms wrapped around me, and blinked, trying to clear my head. She hugged me tightly, and I could see the joy that was just beneath the surface. I could tell things had changed between them; it was easy to see that the wall, the barrier she had been trying to keep up was gone. The thought of having someone to love me as completely as Sam loved her caught me off guard, my loneliness washing over me.

"You're here!" Leah whispered to me, "I have so much to tell you!"

I smiled, hugging her back tightly. I think I already knew some of what she would tell me.

When I looked back at Sam, I realized he was still looking at me. Was he expecting some kind of reaction from me, I mean, I didn't know him all that well.

Leah saw that he was still looking at me strangely and introduced us. "Sam, you know Emily. She has been up to stay with us before."

He turned his head away from me, and spoke to her directly. "Hi." He nodded in my direction. "Leah, I am going to head home. Old Quil said that he might come by this afternoon. So I'll see you later."

He had already turned to walk out the door. She shouted after him to call her, but we didn't hear a response.

I grabbed her hand and dragged her back to her room, "So? What happened? I want all the details and not about his little 'vacation'. You know what I am talking about."

Leah smiled, blushing deeply, "Well, I was staying at his house, in his room. His mom didn't care; I think she liked having someone stay with her, since with him gone she was alone."

She lay down on her bed, cupping her chin on her hands as I sat across the room on her desk chair. "I didn't hear him come in last night but when I woke up this morning he was there." Her face was practically glowing, "I tried to ask him about what had happened, but he wouldn't say much. I apologized for starting that fight with him."

I interjected here, "Which is ridiculous, because that is no reason for someone to run away for god's sake!"

She nodded, "Sam agrees with you, he said it wasn't my fault exactly, but that he was so angry that I thought he could be like him, his father. Before I knew what was happening he was kissing me, like he was starved for me, like I was the only thing that brought him back."

She shivered with her memory, her face going red again.

"It was like everything I had ever hoped for. He is gorgeous, all muscle and smooth skin. His tongue, his hands were so hot, and they were all over my body, as if he wanted to taste all of me." She giggled at the thought, "Well, he DID taste all of me."

"He what? He went down on you? He has never done that before." I would have known, she told me everything.

"Yes, it was amazing. I can't believe I didn't want to do that before," she was playing with her hair now, trying to avoid my eyes, "but not as amazing as when he was inside of me."

I gasped. "Is that what you wanted?" I was worried that she would have done this just to make him happy.

"Oh, yes, definitely. It was…" she trailed off closing her eyes.

"Amazing?" I finished for her, curtly.

She jumped up and threw her arms around me, holding tight. "Emily, I hope that you can feel this way someday, have all your doubts swept away and just feel totally loved. I can't explain it, but it will happen for you, I know it. And then you will feel as happy as I do!"

She was giddy, I could tell. "Well, I hope you're right. I am getting tired of these stupid teenage boys that couldn't care less about me." I pulled away from her, feeling sad that I didn't have my own Sam.

"Oh, but I forgot the worst part!" She was laughing so it couldn't be too bad.

"What? What happened?"

"His mom walked in on us as he was um…finishing. We were kind of loud, so I guess I should have figured she would come in, but we were so busy we didn't hear her walk in. She was yelling at him before she even realized what was going on."

"Oh my god!" I yelled. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, and she was totally okay with it, which may even be the weirdest part. I mean, I know she likes me and all but I thought we would have gotten in more trouble. She seemed more upset that I wasn't angry with him."

She told me about their discussion that morning with Sam's mom and then the breakfast with Quil Ateara. She said Quil acted really strange towards Sam and that he had accepted his excuse almost too easily. Sam's mom was still upset but Quil must have helped her calm down a little about the whole situation.

We talked for the whole afternoon, catching up. She asked about what was going on with me recently. She had been so wrapped up in Sam's absence that she hadn't been very aware of anything going on outside of La Push. She already knew about my latest break up, but there hadn't been much going on besides that. My sister was pregnant again; she was having another girl, so we talked about that for a while.

Her parents called us for dinner and she jumped up, a little worried. Sam hadn't come back over like he said he would. At dinner her parents told us about the bonfire, how it was a celebration that Sam was home safely.

Sue and Harry were going up to the cliffs to help set up for the bonfire. Since Sam had never shown up for dinner, Leah was going to his house to check on him. Her dad, Uncle Harry, had warned her that Sam had been through a lot in the last couple of weeks and she should give him time to rest. He tried to get her to come with us up to the bonfire, putting his arm around her waist and telling her he needed his best girl to help.

Leah slipped out from under his arm, and looked up at him with hurt in her eyes. "Dad, I don't know if you noticed but I had a hard time the last couple of weeks too," she said scornfully. "Apparently, Sam's feelings are more important to you than your own daughter's now."

Uncle Harry grimaced; I could tell he hadn't meant it that way. He was acting a little weird though, but I figured he was worried about how Sam coming home might affect her. I understood, but she was still angry.

After she left we headed up to the cliff top. I hung around Seth for a little while but he got bored of me and his little friends were annoying so when he took off I wasn't mad. I had been to La Push many times, but I wasn't really close to anyone besides Leah. I knew some of the kids but I was so shy I didn't try to talk to them. I just sat by myself in a lawn chair waiting for Leah and Sam to get there.

As I sat, I watched the fire. The flames were dancing around the wood, it was beautiful and warm. I closed my eyes and Sam's face appeared behind my eyelids. The look on his face when he looked at me this afternoon, it was so full of longing. I felt a tug between us when his eyes had fallen on me, but I figured it was just jealousy on my part. Sam was a good looking guy and he really loved Leah.

But as I sat I felt something more puzzling than jealousy. I thought about this new connection I felt between Sam and me. That couldn't be right though, we didn't know each other all that well. I wondered if it was just wishful thinking. Was I just feeling lonely, like the third wheel or something?

It was getting pretty late and I was about to ask Uncle Harry and Aunt Sue if I could head back to the house, when I heard someone sobbing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leah headed toward me angrily. I jumped up, worried about what might have happened.

I couldn't see Sam so I figured something must have happened at his house.

"Are you okay?" I asked panicking, when she got closer. "What happened? Where is Sam?"

"Why, Emily? Why would he do this? How could he do this to me?" She was screaming at the star filled sky. It seemed like all the anguish from the last couple of weeks hadn't just disappeared. She was shaking with anger, tears rushing down her cheeks. Everyone could hear her, and her parents started heading over to us.

"What do you mean? What did he do?"

"I can't believe this is happening!" She swung her head towards me now. "Why would he say your name? Why would he be thinking about you while we were…" She didn't finish her sentence but I could guess what she had been about to say.

I was shocked; I didn't know what was going on. Everyone rushed past me towards Leah, her parents and the elders at the front of the crowd. Harry picked Leah up and was carrying her back home. She was inconsolable, just sobbing on his shoulder. Quil Ateara was talking quietly with Sue, and I saw her blanch at something he said. She started crying, before Quil put his arm around her. He walked with her towards Leah and she ran over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. The flood of people split and moved quickly around me, I could hear them all talking about Sam and Leah, wondering what had happened. It seemed like only the elders knew what was going on, but that was strange.

All the kids and teenagers headed home too, avoiding me. I stood there, alone, by the fire, when Billy Black saw me and motioned for me to walk over to him. I went slowly, unsure of what to say. I hoped people didn't blame me for this; I wasn't even sure of what had happened. When I got closer to his wheelchair, Billy held out his hand to me. He took my hand in his worn one, and patted it.

"I know this is confusing and strange for you, but I know that in time you will understand what has happened." He said cryptically.

"But, I mean, I don't even know who to talk to. Leah is hysterical, and I know her parents will be busy taking care of her." I was shaking my head, baffled by the whole situation.

"Leah is not the one you need to talk to now," Billy said with a small smile on his face.

"But who else is there? I don't even know that many people here and I'm not sure who to ask." I looked around the clearing where just minutes before there had been lots of people sitting, talking, and it was empty now. The contrast was unsettling, and a little scary.

I turned back to Billy and noticed that he was looking into the forest that surrounded the clearing. I followed his gaze, inhaling sharply when Sam stepped out of the shadows.

"Sam?" I whispered, unable to say his name out loud. Our eyes met for the second time that day and I felt that same pull towards him. I started to walk to where he was standing without even thinking, his eyes following me with the same look of longing.

When we met, he reached out to me, holding my hands in his. I shook my head, not sure of what to say. I wanted to ask what had happened, what he had said to Leah, but my mouth wouldn't form the words.

"Emily," he said my name so softly, I had to strain to hear him. "I have something to tell you."

I sat down on the ground, my legs unable to hold me up any longer. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he was going to say. I knew whatever it was had hurt Leah very badly. I didn't want to be a part of anything that would cause her any more pain, but I couldn't stop him. I needed to hear it, some part of me needed to know.

He sat in front of me, still holding my hands. "Emily, I need you to know where I have been the last few weeks."

"Why?" I interrupted him, "why tell me but not Leah?"

He sighed, "If you know what I am now, then you will understand what has happened.

"What you are?" I was scared, "Sam, what is going on?"

"You have heard the Quileute legends before? The story of Taha Aki, and the spirit warriors; the men that become wolves to defend our tribal lands?" His eyes were pleading with me to understand, to remember. I am Makah, but I had heard the stories from Leah's dad before.

"Yes, I have heard the stories. But what does that mean to you? To me?" My voice sounded unnatural to me.

"When I left Leah that day, the day of our argument, I went through a transformation. I became one of the protectors, a wolf." He was speaking quickly, "I am the first one in many years to go through this, so I didn't know what was happening to me. It took me two weeks to be able to change back into my human form."

I just sat there, my face frozen.

He continued, "But it seems that there is more truth to the legends than we knew. I want you to know that I care for Leah, and what has happened doesn't reflect on the way I feel about her at all." He moved his hands to my face, holding it softly.

"But when I saw you at her house this afternoon, I felt something. It was so much more than I have ever felt before. I felt drawn to you; I know you felt it too." His eyes were searching mine. "There is a legend that the wolves will imprint, find their soul mate and become bound to them after their first transformation.

Emily, I imprinted on you." He said the last part quietly. "I will forever be here for you, whether you choose to love me or not. I will protect you and provide for you."

"This is all…I don't know what you mean. What about Leah?" I could feel my tears falling, knowing somewhere inside me that what he was saying was true. It seemed crazy, but I could feel the pull, it was like there was some invisible thread connecting us.

He hung his head, "I will have to tell her what happened. I am not supposed to tell anyone about what I am except my imprint but the elders said it was okay. I know she went through a lot while I was gone. And then when I got back, we …" he trailed off.

"Oh my god, Sam. She will be crushed." I thought about how happy she had been this afternoon telling me about them making love, and realized that this was going to be far worse than when he left.

He saw my face and realized she had told me what had happened that morning.

"Emily, there isn't any way around it. I will do whatever you want me to, we can take things slow. I will tell her myself, I don't want you to have to see what this could do to her." I could hear the sadness in his voice and knew he still cared for her.

All I could think was that this was going to hurt all of us, more than I had ever thought possible. How could I tell her that I was going to be with Sam? And I would have to, because as much as I wished that this was all some sort of bad dream, I knew in my heart that it was true.

"We will have to take this slowly, I can't rush into this. She may not be able to accept it right away, or ever. But I have to think about her feelings." I reached for his hands, looking him in the eye. "Can you give me some time to get used to the idea of this? Maybe if we give her some time to heal, she won't hate me forever."

He wrapped his arms around me, crushing me to him. "Whatever you need, I will give you. I want you to know you are the most important thing in the world to me now."

Hearing those words, I stood and walked away. Knowing how strongly we were bound to each other would give me the strength to get through this.


	6. Act 3 part 2

**This is the last installment of my 3 Act version of the Leah-Sam-Emily tragedy. I hope everyone has enjoyed it, it has been fun writing it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series, I am just playing with her characters!**

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In the weeks after the bonfire, I tried to get a hold of Leah but to no avail. When I called her house, her mom would just say she was sorry and hang up before I could hear what Leah was trying to yell from the other end of the line. I even went so far as to drive down one afternoon, hoping that if I could just explain what was going on and make it clear to her that I had never planned on this, that maybe she could forgive me.

I knew that she was hurting, I had seen what she was like when Sam was gone those few weeks. But this was so much worse. After what had happened between them the morning he had gotten home, she felt even more betrayed. And she blamed me, her best friend for everything. This was really hard on me; she was my only real girlfriend, the only friend I could trust.

I couldn't blame her though; I knew that this situation was anything but normal. I was still trying to come to terms with the whole imprinting thing, and what it meant. Sam had been coming up to visit me almost every day. We were just trying to get to know each other, to be friends. There was always that pull, that sense that something bigger was waiting if I would just let him in.

The night I drove down there, her mom met me at the door.

"Honey, I don't know if she's ready to talk to you yet. She's having a really hard time," Aunt Sue shook her head before looking over her shoulder towards Leah's room.

"I know she is mad at me, but I have to try to explain to her my side of the story. I don't even know…"

She cut me off, "Emily, her dad has already explained the whole imprinting thing to her, but it doesn't make it any easier for her. She's lost him again, and this time it is for good." She was shaking her head again, looking at the floor. "I don't know how she will deal with this."

"Please, Aunt Sue, just let me talk to her." My voice was desperate, "I don't want her to hate me, I can't just leave things this way."

My pleading must have won her over, because she gave in, letting me slide past her and head down the hallway to Leah's room.

Once, I was standing outside her door, I froze. I could hear her sobbing, and it scared me. Unsure of what I would say, I quietly knocked on her door before pushing it open and peeking in.

She was lying on her bed, curled up protectively, holding something close to her face. As I got closer, I could see what it was. One of Sam's tee shirts, crumpled and tear soaked, was what she was grasping on to, wiping her eyes with it every so often.

Hearing my knock, she turned towards the noise. When she recognized that it was me, she swung her head back away from the door.

"Get out of here," she said quietly, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "Leave."

"Leah, please give me a chance to talk to you. I know that this is a mess, and I'm sorry that I have anything to do with it, you know I would never want you to get hurt." My words came out in a rush, eager for her to hear them and understand.

"Whether you wanted me to be hurt or not, I am. I just want to be left alone." She was still facing at the wall, refusing to look at me.

"I never wanted this, this thing with Sam; I never wanted you to be unhappy. You are my best friend; I would do anything for you." My voice caught on his name; I didn't know what hearing it would do to her.

I felt so horrible; seeing her like this just made everything seem more hopeless. How could I ever have anything with Sam, how could our relationship not be tainted by this whole mess? But the idea of not being close to him scared me, more than I was able to understand.

She turned towards me and stood, "Look at me," she pointed out her red rimmed eyes, swollen from crying, her matted hair, her mussed clothes. "Do you think it matters that he has _imprinted _on you, that he is _destined_ to be with you?" Acid was dripping from her words. "Is that supposed to make this easier for me?"

Speechless, not by her outburst but because she was right, the answer to her question was obvious.

"You were always jealous of me, for having him. Well, he's all yours now. Why don't you take this with you to that _dog_? I don't need it anymore, just like I don't need you anymore either."

She threw his shirt at me before storming out of the room.

I had to sit down for a moment; I had never been on the receiving end of so much hate and anger. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

Once I had caught my breath, I moved quickly to leave. I didn't want to be in her room when she came back, I didn't think I could take another barrage from her.

Stepping outside, I inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. All I wanted to do was run to Sam and have him comfort me, but I couldn't let her see me go there. I was afraid of what she might do, her pain having turned to so much anger.

I got in my car and just drove. I thought about heading to the cliffs, where the bonfire had been. It was relatively isolated and the chance of someone seeing us was small.

I called his cell phone, but he didn't answer. I left him a message, telling him to meet me on the cliffs. It would give me a chance to be alone and think for a little while before he got there.

I parked the car, and walked to the cliff edge, feeling the moist breeze blow my hair back, toying with the ends of it. I was pretty drained from the confrontation with Leah, and I just wanted sit back and look at the sky.

As I went to sit, I twisted around, scanning the edge of the trees, looking for Sam. There was no sign of him, so I turned back around and lay down. The sky was clear for once, and the stars were big and bright.

I felt as if I were floating, the land falling away beneath me, the stars, and the sky above seeming to expand before my eyes. After the storm of emotions I had been through, I was finally able to relax, laying my arms out wide and just embracing the feeling, the openness of it all. It made my problems seem so small.

I must have drifted off, because before I could think, Sam was standing next to me, looking down at me and running his hands over his shorn hair. He looked so upset, breathing heavy and shifting from one foot to another, impatiently.

It made my heart sore to see him so angry, I reached towards him still feeling like I was floating, almost as if I were in a dream. I had been so afraid of acknowledging this thing between us, but up on that cliff it felt so right, so natural.

"Why the hell are you here by yourself? It isn't safe to go into the woods alone." His angry words jolted me out of my reverie.

Pulling my hands back toward me, I tried to sit up. "I'm fine, I am a big girl and …"

Sam reached down and roughly pulled me up, right into his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around me, holding me tightly.

"I can't let anything happen to you, do you know what it would do to me?" He whispered into my hair, I wasn't sure if he meant for me to even hear.

My arms stayed at my sides, "Sam, I can take care of myself. Besides I needed to get away from people for a while. I went to Leah's house today. I tried to talk to her."

My eyes welled up with tears, who I was crying for was anyone's guess. There wasn't anyone getting out of this mess without hurting.

One of his hands softly ran down the length of my hair before resting on my lower back. The other hand curved around the side of my throat, pulling my head into the crook of his neck. This was the closest I had let us be, trying to keep things simple for now. But it was just what I needed, someone to hold me, to keep me from collapsing under the guilt I felt.

"There is nothing we can do; she will have to figure this out on her own. We can't change what has happened; I don't want it to change." His words were full of conviction, but I could feel his uncertainty, his fear about how I would handle it.

He pulled away to look me in the eyes, "You know, you have a choice. You don't have to be with me. They said that you could choose to, um, that you could not be with me. I would still be here to protect you, to take care of you."

I could tell he wanted a decision from me; we had spent the last couple of weeks avoiding the topic, just getting to know each other a little. I hadn't told him yet I had already decided that whatever it was, no matter how crazy, that I wanted to be with him. I was trying to be careful with Leah. I knew if we were to become very close publicly so soon after they had broken up, it would be like throwing salt in her wound.

"Sam, I know that you want us to be whatever it is we are supposed to be now, but I have to think about more than just us. Leah.."

Before I could finish my thought he stiffened and pushed me away. "I'm not saying we have to get married tomorrow, Emily, I just want to know whether or not you want me, if you want me to be close to you."

The longing that radiated from him overwhelmed me. No one had ever felt so strongly about me, no one had ever wanted to take care of me before.

I knew in my heart that I could trust him, that I would always come first in his eyes, but my head was a mess right now.

When I didn't respond he released me and started to walk away. The loss of his warmth shocked me.

My arms reached for him again, but he shrugged me off. Why was it so hard for me to tell him, to explain that I did care, that I did want him to be a part of my life? It's like the words had frozen in my mouth.

"Leah came to see me after she left you; she told me that she thought we deserved each other." He spoke without facing me, his words cold. "That we were both the worst kind of friend, and that we had ruined her life." His harsh laugh, almost a bark, echoed along the cliffs. "She was always a little overdramatic."

The fact that he could speak about her with such detachment, after we had done to her what no friend or lover should ever do, was heart wrenching. I wondered at how someone who had so recently loved her could say such a thing.

Angry words came tumbling out, "How can you say that? How can you see the shape she is in and not feel like a criminal? What are you? A monster?"

He began shaking, bowing down in fury. His head hung low, and I could tell he was about to lose it. I marched towards him fuming, grabbing at his arm. I must have moved too quickly, he didn't seem to know I was there. I could feel his arm quivering as I touched him, and then he appeared to explode.

I felt the claws rake down my face, from hairline to chin and onto my arm. The pain was so sharp, I collapsed to the ground. Wetness covered my body; I slowly realized it was my own blood. When he saw what he had done, he howled in anguish and ran, ran as fast as he could away from me. I lay on the ground trying to see the sky through the blood that flooded my eyes, and gradually it faded as did the pain that I was engulfed in.

I floated through time, unable to surface from this bottomless pool. I felt myself being lifted and I heard voices a while later, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. There were bright lights and lots of machines. Sometimes everything was quiet and dark.

When I woke, I was in a hospital bed, the right side of my face and my right hand covered in bandages. I looked down at my hands; the left one had a large IV sticking out of it. Moving was painful, and I cried out as I tried to get myself upright. My mom jumped up, rushing to my bedside.

"Oh, honey, don't move. You could pull out some of your stitches." Her hand caressed my face, "Are you in pain?"

I nodded mutely, barely moving my head. But the pain blossomed and almost forced me under again.

"Be still, I will call the nurse in. Maybe there is something more that they can give you."

She left to walk to the nurses' station, looking in the corner of the room before she walked out. I couldn't see who or what was there, and turning my head to see was just too painful.

I cleared my throat but it was raw, unused for so many days.

I felt him, more than heard him, and before I could register my surprise, Sam had moved to the side of my bed. The guilt in his eyes was immense and I was astonished to see tears falling onto his cheeks.

"Emily, I am so sorry. There aren't words for me to say that can express how I feel. I was the one who was supposed to protect you, to keep you from harm." His voice caught as his tears fell on my hand. He reached carefully for it and I braced myself for the pain, but it didn't come. "I don't know if you will ever forgive me, you shouldn't forgive me. But I will spend my life making it up to you. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

I couldn't say anything, my mouth felt numb. I merely blinked as he poured his heart out, his guilt weighing on him heavily.

"Honey, the nurse will be in here in a second, to see what they can do for you." She looked at Sam, "Let's keep things calm in here; I don't want her getting stressed out while she is recuperating."

Turning back to me she smiled and ran her hand down my cheek again, "I am so glad you are awake. Your dad and I were so scared." Her own eyes were welling up with tears, "Please don't go hiking again, that bear could have killed you. I can't lose you, honey."

I looked at Sam, unsure of what she was talking about. He just hung his head.

"It's a good thing Sam was there, right?" She patted his shoulder, "He was able to get you to the hospital quickly. You could have bled to death."

He shuddered, and turned his face away from me.

"Your dad is on his way, and he is bringing Leah with him. She has been a mess since that night. I am going to meet them in the lobby and let them know how you are doing"

She turned to face Sam, "You may want to let Leah and Emily have some time alone, I know that you guys have some stuff to work through but I don't want anything upsetting being said in front of my daughter, okay? She has been through enough, she needs to rest."

He looked up at her and nodded. "I'll stay with Emily until Leah gets here and then I will go home so that they can talk." My hand reached for his, I didn't want him to leave.

He cradled my hand in his so delicately, closing it in his warmth. I closed my eyes and exhaled. If he could just stay, I would feel safe.

When I sought his gaze he refused to look at me, just staring at my hand, caressing it with his own. I tried to speak again, but my voice was just a whisper.

"Sam"

My voice was not the one he heard though.

Leah rushed into the room, her face red with anger. She came to stand at the end of my bed, waiting until my door had closed behind her before speaking again.

"I know what you did to her, that you were the monster that almost killed her. I don't believe for one second the lie that you are spreading, that she was mauled by a bear." Her voice was controlled, dripping with anger and condescension. "You may have broken my heart and then you almost took away my best friend. I hold you personally responsible for this."

She moved to the opposite side of the bed from him, leaning over me to look him in the eye, "If you think she will ever care about you, that you will be able to fix this…" She started crying and turned to me, asking quietly, "Are you okay?"

I blinked, and she nodded taking it as a positive response.

"You still here?" She cocked her head towards Sam without looking at him.

He looked at me for a minute, searching my eyes for something before turning to leave.

Once the door had closed behind him, Leah reached for the hand he had abandoned and when she grasped it in her own pain jolted up my arm. "Emily, I am sorry I was so angry at you, I know that this is a mess and that you are as innocent in this as I am. We have no one to blame but Sam for all of this."

I wished I could stop her but every time I tried say something she would shake her head and keep going.

"If it weren't for him we would have never had to go through this. You are like a sister to me and I will never let anything come between us again. Especially not something as stupid as a boyfriend." I was glad she was here; I had missed her those weeks she wasn't talking to me. But I wished she wouldn't talk about Sam that way, it was hurting me more than she realized.

"I missed you." She whispered, looking at the floor.

"Me too." I was able to whisper back.

Her head jerked up to look at me. She hugged me as gently as she could, and as she pulled away a nurse bustled in.

"Okay, be careful with her bandages, she is in quite a bit of pain." She checked the machines strewn around my bed, before moving to my bedside. "Now, I am going to give you a little something to help with the pain, we need for you to be able to rest so that you can heal."

After giving me some pain medicine through my IV, the nurse turned to Leah, "Let's give her some time to rest. She has been through a lot, and you ladies can catch up later, okay?"

Leah squeezed my hand again and left the room. "I love you, you know."

I could feel the medicine seeping into my veins, calming the pain. I began to drift off to sleep, worn out from my brief time of alertness.

I woke later, and my room was dark. Sam was sitting at my bedside, holding my bandaged hand in his. When he noticed that I was awake he moved to rest my hand down and back away from me.

I grabbed at his hands, holding as tightly as I could. "Sam, don't leave," I whispered, my voice scratchy.

He looked as if he was trying to tear himself away from me and I needed to stop him.

"I need you here." The effort it took me to speak made my chest heave. I took a deep breath before continuing, "I want you here with me."

Our eyes met and that invisible thread that connected us pulled even tighter.

"I don't know if you will ever be able to forgive me." He was so quiet I could barely hear him.

"I already have." There was no doubt in what I said, and he could tell that I meant it. I knew then that no matter what happened in the future, we would be okay.

"Emily, I love you. It may seem too soon, but I can't help it. I just hope you will feel the same way about me someday." He leaned in and kissed my cheek tenderly, running his hands down my arms softly.

I felt the tears burning as they rolled down my cheek, and a sob broke in my chest as I tried to get the words out.

He stopped me, before I could speak. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. Just know I will never hurt you again. I promise you that." His lips moved to mine, careful as he pressed against them. I expected it to hurt but it didn't. All I could feel was warmth from his mouth and how it soothed the hurt.

I closed my eyes then, knowing he would stay by my side, forever.

* * *

_Okay, well I hope I did a good job with this. It 's such a sad story but there is a lot of love in it too, so I hope that came through. I was thinking of writing an epilogue from Leah's perspective, just to sort of tie up her side the story. I don't think I would do any Leah-imprinting, I don't want to write something and then have the book come out and be totally off. It would be just to get her thoughts and see how she is handling the situation. If enough people request it, I may write it.  
_

_Many thanks to _**Anuddaone**_, my beta-reader/twilight buddy. She has some really amazing stories that you should definitely check out, they are fabulous. _


	7. Epilogue

**Okay, I wasn't ready to be done with Sam and Emily, plus it has been an emotional story to write and I wanted to wrap it up a little better. This chapter is from Emily' s POV.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series, I am just playing with her characters!**

* * *

My stitches had been out for over a month and the doctor said that the lacerations were healing as well as could be expected. He had warned me that the scars would not go away, that the skin there would always be discolored and uneven. But the pain I felt every time I moved my mouth was slowly fading. No infection had developed, which was good. Now, it was just a matter of getting used to how different I looked. Everyone that saw me had the same reaction, one of horror, shock or even worse, pity. It was like I was damaged goods and it hurt me to see how they reacted to me.

There was one person, though, that looked at me with so much love and awe. Sam. He would brush his hand softly along my bandages, the pressure barely registering. I know he felt guilty. He could see how everyone treated me now and that made him feel even worse for having done this to me. When someone would see me for the first time, he would tense up, knowing that their reaction was going to hurt me. He had warned his mom about them, and she was able to look at me without flinching. It was nice to have somewhere I could be myself, not feel like some kind of monster.

I spent most of time with Sam, enjoying the last few weeks of my summer break. School would start in just a few weeks and I was dreading it. Whispers in the hallways and people pointing at me behind my back, it was going to be hard to make it a whole day without breaking down, much less a whole year.

We were sitting in the kitchen at his mom's house one evening, watching her make dinner. She was chatting with us, asking about school and when I would be starting. Sam was forgoing college for now, having turned down his scholarship. The Elders told him that with his new status as a protector that he was tied to the reservation for life. He was pretty upset about it, but was planning on taking online courses so that he would still get an education.

"I am not really looking forward to school; I hate the idea if explaining all over again what happened. I wish I could print out a card and just hand it to people instead of having to tell everyone." My voice was sullen, "Or we could just hold an assembly and I could tell everyone at once, you know, have a question and answer session afterwards." I laughed morosely.

Sam cringed, but then started rubbing my back, "Just tell people to mind their own business, and if they have a problem, call me."

"That would never work, people are too nosey. Besides, if I don't say something they will think it's even worse than it really is." I turned to Sam and whispered, knowing that he was silently berating himself, "It's ok, I will be fine. And I've got you to call if I need backup."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and he leaned over, kissing the top of my head. "It's too bad you can't just go to school here, almost everyone here has heard the story, you wouldn't have to go through it over again and again."

I didn't think it was really possible, that it would even work out so I dismissed the idea.

But Sam's mom asked, "Why can't she? I mean, you guys are together all the time. Her parents know about the imprint thing. It's only a matter of time before you two get married."

As she mentioned marriage, I blushed and ducked my head. We had talked about it, but only in very vague terms. We knew it would happen someday but it seemed too soon still to set a date or anything.

"Yeah, why couldn't you?" Sam's face brightened at the idea, "Then I will have you close seven days a week!"

"I would have to drive down here every day for school though, I don't know if Mom and Dad can spare the car for me everyday." I loved the idea, but didn't want to get my hopes up for something that probably wouldn't happen.

"Let me talk to your parents, Emily. Maybe you could stay with us during the school week and go home on the weekends." His mom looked at us sternly, "You would have to stay in the guest bedroom but I am here most of the time so it's not like you could get into any trouble you wouldn't normally get into."

I couldn't believe she was offering for me to stay here. It seemed too good to be true.

His mom had accepted the whole werewolf/imprinting thing easily and had welcomed me into their lives quickly. She had been very close to Leah, and I know that she felt sorry for how it had worked out. But Sam was her son and seeing how happy he was with me made her happy.

"Let's eat and then I will give your parents a call. We can talk about it and see what they think. Don't get too excited yet, but I am sure that we can figure something out." She started dishing out dinner and we all sat down at the table.

Sam pulled my chair close to his, so that he could keep one arm wrapped around while we ate. His mom, seeing this, just chuckled and shook her head. Seeing her son so serious and so in love was, I'm sure, a little strange. We were still very young and talking about spending the rest of our lives together was intimidating.

Our meal passed quickly, with Linda chatting about her work, she taught at the reservation school. She told us about all the things they had planned for the new school year.

Sam had started doing patrols at night, running all over the reservation, checking the boundaries. His change had come about because of a vampire coven that had recently moved back into Forks. This particular family was not a threat to us but simply by being near they had caused the werewolf gene, or whatever, to activate. Sam was very protective of me, now that he knew what might be out there, I was almost never alone. Only when I would stay over and he would be patrolling would I be left alone and even then not for long.

I had planned on staying over that night so when Linda called my Mom after dinner to talk, I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. We were going to watch movies and just hang out.

Our parents had been very accepting of us and allowed us a lot of time alone. I was sure that if it were any other guy that my parents would have freaked out but after the Elders and Sam came to the house and talked with my parents they had been surprisingly lax with me. I didn't mind, there wasn't any one else I really wanted to hang out with.

Once I had washed my face and brushed my teeth, never a fun time for me, I got changed. I had taken to wearing Sam's t-shirts to bed, that way if he was out running I would still be able to feel like he was close.

When I walked out of the bathroom Sam scooped me up and carried me into the living room. He sat down on the couch with me in his lap.

"Is your mom still here?" I tried to move off of him, but he kept his arms around me, trapping me against his chest.

"No, she drove up to your house so she and your parents could sit down and talk about our plan. Your mom seemed okay with it but she thinks your dad will take some convincing." His hands were tracing up and down my arms, lingering on the scars on my right hand. He held my hand to his lips and softly brushed kisses all over it.

Shuddering with pleasure at the feeling of his warm lips on my skin, I turned to face him. "Do you really think they will go for it? I'm just not sure Dad will think it's a good idea."

He moved his hands to my face, holding it close to his, "I hope so. Having you here every morning when I wake up, so I can see your beautiful face, would be the best thing that could happen to me."

I looked down shyly; it was almost embarrassing how he thought I was the most beautiful girl in the world. No matter how many times he said it, I still felt like I wasn't quite good enough for him.

"Now, don't hide your face from me. I have plans for those lips," he chuckled as he leaned in to kiss me. The heat from his mouth felt so good, and he was so gentle with me, so careful of my scars. At first I had thought he would be disgusted by them, but he was almost reverent with them, well with me in general.

I moved so that I straddled him, my legs next to his, my hips pressed against him. He kept his mouth on mine, opening his lips, tracing my own with his tongue. He nibbled on my bottom lip, and groaned when I let my tongue slid along his. I loved to hear how I could affect him, making me feel beautiful despite my scars.

My hips started moving instinctively, as the pleasure coiled within me. He ran his hands up my sides until he reached my bra, before flicking the clasp open and releasing my breasts. The felt heavy and I moved to crush them against his chest. Before I could lean forward, though he pulled my shirt up so that he could see me, the cool air making my nipples tighten into hard peaks.

"Oh, Emily" he groaned before capturing one his mouth. The feeling of his hot tongue laving against the tip made me throw my head back and pant. After a few minutes he switched and suckled my other nipple, his hands kneading my breasts the whole time.

I pulled my shirt off, careful as it skimmed my cheek and threw it on the sofa. My bra slid off of my arms, unhindered by my shirt now and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, needing his warmth.

As the pressure built in me, my hips started jerking on their own, rubbing my most sensitive flesh along his hard length. His hands moved to my hips and he helped me set a rhythm, both of us breathless at the sensation.

I stood, sliding my shorts to the ground along with my panties. He raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, smirking at me handsomely. He was bare-chested but still had on his shorts. I straddled him again before he had a chance to move.

We found our rhythm again, and I could feel the tension inside of me getting tighter and tighter. His hands were moving from my hips to my breasts, leaving a trail of warmth where ever they touched. When I felt his teeth lightly biting my nipples, I moaned.

He alternated, biting them before sucking them into his mouth and then blowing. The contrasting sensations were pushing me to the edge. I started to move faster, pressing against him, longing for the pressure. As the waves broke over me, I cried out, grabbing his shoulders.

He rolled me under him quickly, pulling his shorts and boxers off with one hand. My legs parted, allowing him to lay right where I needed him.

There were no words needed, he could see in my eyes that I wanted this. He covered my face in kisses, as he positioned himself at my entrance. I was slick with my own juices, and he parted my flesh easily. The sensation of being stretched to allow for his size was shocking, as was the sense of being filled completely.

I writhed on the cushions, anxious to feel him moving inside of me, but he held himself still, gathering his control. His eyes were shut tight as he started to move slowly, much too slowly for me. I tried to move my hips in sync with his, but his hands stopped me.

"Don't," he choked out, "I am trying… to go slow. I don't want to hurt you." He panted as he spoke, the words husky.

"You are pretty big," I whispered, running my fingers along his spine.

His eyes shot open, and he smirked down at me. I could tell he liked hearing that.

"I am pretty tight; I am surprised you fit." I was shocked at myself, I was never this wicked.

But my words were having an affect on him. He slid in and out faster, holding on to my hips for leverage. I could feel the tension inside of me, spiraling again. His thumb slid over my clit, rubbing roughly back and forth, and I tightened around him.

The sensation of my body contracting around him drove him crazy and he captured my lips in a deep kiss, plundering my mouth with his tongue. We moved together until I felt my peak and my cries were followed closely by his. As the sensations faded, I shivered and he wrapped his arms around me, warming my body.

"So, you wanted me to move in with you why?" I laughed as I said the words.

"That would just be one of the perks, missy." He smiled as he spoke, "but really, just having you here would be enough. I can't wait until we are…"

"Married?" I finished his sentence, joking. "You know what they say about sex after your married, there isn't any."

"Well, I think we may be the exception to that rule." He turned us so that we were lying facing each other, and I snuggled into him.

We lay there for a while and I had just dozed off when the phone rang.

He got up, pulling his shorts back on, and tucked a blanket around me before running into the kitchen to answer it.

I heard him talking but couldn't make out what he was saying. After a minute he hung up.

"So, what do you think about being roomies this school year?" He asked as he walked back into the room.

"Really, they said yes?" I jumped off the sofa and ran to him, throwing myself into his arms.

"Apparently, they think I am an upstanding guy and they trust me to, oh what did Mom say? Not take advantage of their daughter? Was that it?" He was laughing at his own joke, but I was too excited to be mad.

"I can't believe it!" I squealed in happiness.

"But there is one requirement." He set me down in front of him and took my hands in his. "That we plan on getting married, not right away but someday in the not too distant future."

I puzzled, "My parents are making us get engaged?"

It dawned on me as he knelt on the ground in front of me, "No, not your parents, I want to know. Emily, you are the world to me and I want you to be my wife someday." He smiled at me, waiting for my answer.

"Well, I…um…" I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

"Em, you're making me worry here." He sounded a little worried.

"Yes." Before I had finished the word he swept me up in his arms.

"I knew it, I knew it! But baby, you had me scared there for a minute." He crushed me to him in a deep kiss, leaving me breathless.

"Oh, I almost forgot something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. I watched, eager to see what he picked for me.

When he opened the box, in it sat antique white gold band with a small diamond in an elegant setting. "It's a hand-me-down, but I thought you would like it."

"Sam, they aren't called hand-me-down's, they are called heirlooms. And it's beautiful." I held my breath as he slid it on my finger.

He brought his face close to mine, "You and me, forever right?" His words were quiet.

I nodded, too overcome to speak, and nestled my face in the crook of his neck, feeling safe and loved.

"Alright, well we better get straightened up, because my mom is on her way and I don't think she will be very happy to walk in on us, naked in her living room." He tossed my clothes at me so that I could get dressed. As I pulled his shirt on, he smiled at me. "That does look pretty good on you, my future bride."

I laughed, at him for being so presumptuous, at the prospect of his mom catching us, and at the idea of being a bride.

But I laughed most of all because he made me so happy.

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_I want to thank Anuddaone for being my beta-reader/twilight buddy. You should definitely check out her stories, she does good work._


	8. Author's Note

I wanted to let you guys know that I am working on an AU, all human story with my beta/buddy. It's B/E and will be rated M for language and sexual situations. If you would be interested put me on Author Alert and we will be posting several chapters this week. Thanks again for all the nice things everyone has said about my first story, it was great to hear that someone enjoyed reading it! You guys are awesome!

Thanks!


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